Other News

Member Milestones

Inside HFES

HFES Bulletin: News You Can Use!

With a new year comes a new HFES Bulletin – coming to you when news is fresh. Rather than sending you an issue once a month, we will distribute an e-Bulletin whenever we need to keep you up to date on Society events, publications, and initiatives; opportunities from related organizations; public-policy updates; member milestones; and more.

News and information distributed in the Bulletin e-mails will be archived on the Web site.

If your e-mail address is not in your record or it has changed recently, please log in to your HFES account and update your member record. Or simply contact Member Services at membership@hfes.org, 310/394-1811, fax 310/394-2410.

Inside HFES

Big Data Submissions Invited for 2016 Human Factors Prize

The Human Factors Prize recognizes excellence in human factors/ergonomics (HF/E) research through an annual competition in which authors are invited to submit papers on a specific topic for that year.

The topic for the 2016 Human Factors Prize is HF/E Research on Big Data. HFES seeks articles that describe research about human factors issues pertaining to big data or the use of big data to solve HF/E problems. Big data refers to the use of extremely large databases to analyze and develop computational models and to identify trends, patterns, and associations in the world.

The prize carries a $10,000 cash award and publication of the winning paper in the Society's flagship journal, Human Factors. The award will be formally conferred at a special session at the HFES International Annual Meeting, where the recipient will present his or her work.

Submissions should provide a theoretical basis, a thorough background, a detailed description of the methods and database, results, and discussion of the practical ramifications of the research. The paper also needs to show the HF/E link and impact.

Manuscripts can report on human factors research related to big data visualization, data mining, and decision aiding as well as research on tasks dealing with big data: sensor data exploitation, intelligence analysis, cyber security, electronic health records, and so on.

Papers are invited that, among other things, cover

Methods and activities in national and cyber security;

Improvements in systems for the storage of electronic health information;

Development of methods and techniques to analyze sensor data;

New techniques to understand HF/E in aviation, military operations, and terrorism;

Innovative algorithms for analyzing large HF/E data; and

Unique uses of large HF/E data sets to solve real-world problems.

Any researcher is eligible to submit relevant work; membership in HFES is not required.

Submissions must be uploaded between Monday May 2, and Friday, June 3, 2016.

Inside HFES

Win $1,000, an elegant trophy, and the recognition of your peers! The HFES Product Design Technical Group (PDTG) invites you to submit a nomination for the 15th Annual Stanley Caplan User-Centered Product Design Award, which emphasizes both product design and the methods used to specify and achieve the design.

No entry fee or other payment is required, and nominations will be accepted from individuals nominating others or nominating themselves. Award candidates do not have to be a member of HFES or PDTG. All product designers, product teams, and human factors professionals are invited to participate.

Consideration is given to products, software, or systems that are used in the home, in the workplace, or while mobile, including consumer, commercial, and medical products but excluding military equipment or systems. The product or system being nominated must be operational at the time of submission. At a minimum, it must be scheduled for commercial use within one year with no substantial changes. At a maximum, the product or system may have been on the market for three years. For examples and complete details about submitting a product for consideration, visit the PDTG Web site at http://pdtg-hfes.blogspot.com.

The winning product/system will be recognized at the 2016 HFES Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, on September 20, and the awardees will be asked to present a talk on the product and methodology. The awardees will also be expected to submit a paper to Ergonomics in Design within two months after the meeting.

The deadline for submitting nominations for the award is April 22. Nominations should be submitted electronically to Dianne McMullin.

Inside HFES

Fellows and Awards Nominations Reminder

HFES Full Members and Fellows are invited to submit nominations for new Fellows and eight Society awards, which will be presented at the 2016 Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.

Fellows

Fellow is a special class of Society membership, as established in the HFES Bylaws. Individuals may apply for Fellow status on their own behalf, or they may submit a nomination on behalf of another.

The Fellow nomination package (including instructions, nomination and recommendation forms, and supporting information) may be obtained from the Fellows page. You may also contact HFES Director of Member Services Carlos de Falla. Completed Fellow nomination packages must be received at the HFES office on or before February 1.

Awards

Nominations are invited for individuals whose contributions merit special recognition. The eight awards for which nominees are sought are as follows:

Hal W. Hendrick Distinguished International Colleague Award

Paul M. Fitts Education Award

A. R. Lauer Safety Award

Alexander C. Williams, Jr., Design Award

Jack A. Kraft Innovator Award

Oliver Keith Hansen Outreach Award

William C. Howell Young Investigator Award

Bentzi Karsh Early-Career Service Award

Nominees are not required to be HFES members, but only members may submit nominations. Submissions are due on or before March 31. To nominate,

submit the candidate's résumé or curriculum vitae, a nominating letter, and at least two but not more than three letters of support from individuals who know the candidate well enough to assess his or her candidacy in terms of the award's criteria;

Inside HFES

HFES is pleased to announce a YouTube video contest to inspire and educate others about HF/E. Submissions of 2-minute videos that capture the distinct value of HF/E by answering the question, "How does human factors/ergonomics help people?" are welcome. HF/E must be clearly identified, and inclusion of the submitter's experience in the field is encouraged.

A team of judges from the HFES Outreach Division, volunteers, and HFES staff will select the three winning videos, which will be shown at the 2016 HFES Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, in September. The winning submitters will also receive monetary awards in the following amounts:

First Place: $3,000

Second Place: $2,000

Third Place: $1,000

To enter, upload completed videos to Dropbox or another file-sharing service and share the file with Karen Jacobs (hfesoutreach@gmail.com). Entries must be uploaded and shared by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on Monday, February 29. Wednesday, June 1. No exceptions. If you submit a video, you agree to allow it to be posted on the HFES Web site, HFES YouTube channel, and other HFES-sponsored events.

Videos must not exceed two minutes, including the credits, which typically run five seconds. At a minimum, the credits should include the name of the submitter(s) along with proper citations for all music and resources used and for which permission/licensing was obtained (example: "Piano Man" written and performed by Billy Joel, copyright 1973, Columbia.).

Submissions must include a signed release from the submitter(s), the owner of any photographs used, and everyone in the video. Releases can be requested from Lois Smith then scanned and e-mailed back with a link to the submission. HFES does not require the transfer of copyright for the videos, but the release form must permit the Society to use them. Copyright remains with the creator of the video.

If music is used, be sure it is done so legally. Much of the music registered through Creative Commons may be used for free in videos. Be sure to check the licensing agreement for each song. You can also use YouTube's AudioSwap feature, which offers music that may be used without permission, and, if you have a video that includes music for which you don't have permission, this feature allows you to swap it. As with photographs, you can find royalty-free music through a Web search, but be sure to check the terms of use.

Other options are to write, play, and record your own song, or to get permission to use a song that is copyrighted (you will need permission/license from the owner of the song, the artist, and the owner of the recording). Submitters are responsible for any fees to obtain these permissions/licenses.

This contest is open to the public. Winners will be informed in July.

Other News

Human Factors Engineers Fellowship Opportunity

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Division of Safety Research, Protective Technology Branch (PTB), located in Morgantown, West Virginia, has fellowship opportunities for human factors engineers. This is the federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness. Its mission is to generate new knowledge in the field of occupational safety and health and to transfer that knowledge into practice for the betterment of workers.

NIOSH is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) within the Department of Health and Human Services. The NIOSH Morgantown facility is a national leader in occupational safety research to prevent job-related injuries. It serves as the focal point for the institute's research programs on occupational traumatic injury prevention and safety. The division follows the public health model, combining safety and engineering sciences. Epidemiologic methods are employed to define injury problems and to evaluate intervention efforts, and safety and engineering sciences, to address human factors issues and to develop and test control technologies.

Fellows will conduct research associated with occupational driver safety, fall prevention and protection, industrial equipment and machine safety, and work physiology and personal protective technology.

Applicants must have a master's or doctoral degree in human factors engineering, safety engineering, industrial engineering, transportation safety, biomedical engineering, or a similar engineering program. Knowledge and experience with safety research, engineering design, or bioengineering is preferred. Applicants must have excellent written and oral communication skills and be able to work both independently and in a team environment. Non-U.S. Citizens are eligible to apply. Salary ranges for these positions are $48,403–$83,468 depending on education and experience and the type of fellowship.

Member Milestones

In Memoriam: Thomas H. Rockwell

Thomas H. Rockwell

Thomas H. Rockwell, emeritus professor at The Oho State University (OSU) and HFES Fellow, passed away on Christmas Day 2015 at the age of 86. He was born in Loma Linda, California, and earned a chemical engineering degree from Stanford in 1951 before joining the Air Force. A stint at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base piqued his interest in human factors. He received MS and PhD degrees in industrial engineering, both from OSU. Tom stayed on at OSU, where he eventually served as faculty adviser to more than 88 master’s and doctoral graduates; those grads went on to fruitful careers in government, industry, and academia. He influenced many more professionals through teaching, external committee participation, research oversight, and collaboration with faculty members.

Apart from his role as an educator, Tom considered his major contribution to the field to be his research on driver human factors, especially visual search using eye-movement techniques. Tom’s research led to the development of unique driving performance measurement systems (e.g., a mechanical yo-yo system to measure headways and relative velocity; a corneal reflection technique to record driver eye movements, and video systems to record the driver’s visual fields). He installed these systems in many instrumented vehicles and conducted numerous research studies on public roads. The research was wide-ranging: drivers’ abilities to maintain vehicle speed, lane position, and headways; drivers’ night-driving information needs for headlamp illumination and roadway delineations; drivers’ ability to respond to different rear-signal systems; drivers’ eye movements under different traffic situations, when reading highway signs, and when negotiating curves; effects of driver age, driving experience, sleep deprivation, and alcohol on eye-glance behavior and driving performance. He made contributions to advancing non-accident-based measures of safety performance. He also prepared SAE J2396, Definitions and Experimental Measures Related to the Specification of Driver Visual Behavior Using Video Based Techniques.

Tom conducted research on railroad and aviation systems, and basic research into risk-taking behavior. His railroad work included biomechanical stress analyses associated with the use of railroad hand tools and claw bars. His NASA-funded aviation research involved computer-aided testing of pilot decision making and fault diagnosis in response to critical in-flight events. He conducted basic research on risk-taking and developed an apparatus (a rotating press arm with an electric-shock activator) to study the risk-taking behavior of human operators. He was an avid pilot and gave his students copiloting experience, which led to a number of research studies involving measurements of pilot eye movements and physiological measures.

It should come as no surprise that Tom received both the HFES Paul Fitts Education Award and the A. R. Lauer Traffic Safety Award. Separate from his OSU work, he formed R&R Research, Inc., to continue his research and consulting services.

Tom cared deeply about his family and his students, and despite having seven children of his own, he found the time to be active in Big Brothers and to maintain personal relationships with his former students. We can all relate amusing anecdotes of time spent with him, and many of us can recall personal kindnesses he showed us over the years. And he was a heck of a racquetball player in his day, too!

Tom lived life joyfully and completely and leaves behind researchers and educators who continue his legacy at numerous universities, companies, and government organizations. His contributions to human factors/ergonomics were vast; he will be missed but remains forever in our hearts.